Set-work for saw-mills



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. GOWEN.

Set Work for Saw Mills.

No. 233,409. Patented Oct. 19, 1880.

,FEIERS. PHQ O-UTHQGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D c 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. GOWEN. Set Work for- Saw Mills.

No. 233,409. Patented Oct. 19,1880.

N. FEYERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPMER. WASHXNGTON. D c.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAMGOWEN, OF WAUSAU, WISCONSIN.

SET-WORK -FO R SAW- MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 233,409, dated October19, 1880.

Application filed March 1-8, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GOWEN, of Wausau, in the county of Marathonand State of Wisconsin, have invented certain Improvements in Set-Worksand Dogs for Saw-Mills, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to set-works and dogs for saw-mills; and theinvention consists in certain improved devices, and in certainconibinations and arrangement of devices, as hereinafter more fully setforth.

Figure l is a perspective view of the setworks and dogs made inaccordance with my improvements; and Figs. 2, 3,4, 5, 6, and 7 are viewsof portions shown more in detail.

In the drawings, A represents thebase-block at the end of the carriagewhere the operator stands, upon which is mounted the operatingmechanism, there being the usual number of additional head-blocks a a,on which the slidin'g knees d, with their dogs 8, are mounted.

The knees d are made of cast-iron, with a vertical face next to the log,and with a base having a flange at each side to fit and slide in aT-shaped groove in the upper side of a separate base-plate, b, as shownin Figs. 1 and 6.

The vertical and base portions of the knee d are connected by asegmental portion, at, in one face of which, as shown in Fig. 2, thereis a series of notches.

To one side of the knee there is pivoted a lever, t, on the lower end ofwhich there is a segmental rack or gear arranged to engage with a rack,k, on the slide b, by which the knee "d can be adjusted or moved forwardor back on the slide b, it being locked in position by a spring-catchlever, l, which is pivoted in a recess in the side of lever t, and has alug projecting through a hole in the lever i oppo site the brace m, soas to engage in the notches thereof. By this arrangement each knee iscapable of being quickly adjusted independent of the others, andindependently of the general adjustment to which allvaresubjected by theoperation of the mechanism to behereinafter described, and thusthe'knees can be set forward or back to accommodate any crooks there maybe in the log, andalsofor sawing to a taper, as is often desired.

As shown in Figs. land 6, therhead-blocks, instead of being made double,as 'usual, and

having the knee or a separate rack-bar working in the central space, aremade of a single solid piece like an I rail or girder, and the slide 1)is fitted to slide on it, while the knee d is fitted to slide separatelyon the slide b. This construction is much cheaper, and prevents thepossibility of chips, pieces of bark, sawdust, &c., getting into thehead-block or the rack and gearing that operate the slide andinterfering with their operation.

The dogs for holding the log consist of a series of straight bars, 8,having sharp chiselshaped points, these dogs being fitted to slide inoblique grooves in the side of the knee d, as shown in Fig. 1. They areeach pivoted at their upper ends to a vertical bar, 0, provided at itsupper end with a transverse slot, 0 by which it is connected to anelbow-lever, n, pivoted at r to the knee, so that by throwing back thelever n the dogs 8 W111 all be simultaneously thrust forward anddownward into the log.

As shown in Fig. 7, the dogs 8 areeach provided with a projection, 00,which, as their points enter the log, ride on the inclines w in thegrooves s, thereby causing their points to swing inward sufficiently todraw the log tight up against the face of the knees and hold it firmlyin place.

To hold the dogs back out of the way, I socurea bent spring, 19, to theback side of the knee, as shown in Fig. 1, upon which a bolt or ing, a,projecting from the side of lever it, bears, so that when the lever israised to an upright position, as it is when the dogs 8 are drawn back,the friction and tension of the spring will hold it there.

As before stated, and as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 6, each knee (1 isadjustably secured upon a base-plate or slide, 1), which, in turn, movesto and fro on the head-blocks a. Each of these slides b has firmlysecured to it on one side a rack-bar, c, in the outer edge of which is agroove, t, in which engages a guide, h, made in the form of a bracket,and. firmly bolted to the side of the head-block a, as

shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the object of which is to hold the rack-bar e ingear with the pinion g, which operates it, and also to hold the kneeuprightand prevent it from tipping and binding on the block a, on whichit slides.

The operating mechanism by which the slides b and their knees, with thedogs, are moved consists of a rotating shaft, Y, having its bearings inthe blocks A a a and bracket 1) and arranged lengthwise of the carriage,as shown in Fig. 1,'it being provided with a pinion, g, arranged toengage with each of the racks e, as shown. Between the block A and thebracket D there is a gear-wheel, W, keyed upon this shaft Y, arranged toengage with a pinion, G, secured to a counter-shat't,Z,arran geddirectlyovertheouterend of shaft Y,as shown in Fig. 1, and from whichshaft Y receives its motion. This shaft Z has its bearings in a boxformed in the center of a quadrant or segmental setrack, B, which isbolted upon the top of the block A and in the upper tubular portion of avertical artn, 1), which may be either cast solid with or bolted to thebracket 1). 3y this method of motmting the shaft Z the ratchetwheel,with its operating-lever, and the setrack and dial are all brought closeup before the operator in the most convenient position to enable him toperform quickly the operations required.

The set-rack B is provided with ratchet'teeth on both sides, and havingits box or hearing for the shaft Z at its center, the set-rack canreadily be turned end for end and be used with equal facility when it isdesired to reverse the knees, so as to take the log from the oppositeside of the carriage.

The stop-lever II, which engages with the teeth of set-rack B, isjointed, and has a spring arranged to press it against the rack, asshown in Fig. 1, the inclined face of the teeth permitting it to bereadily drawn toward the operator, while their right-angled faces holdit securely against accidental displacement when struck by theprojecting bolt 0 of the set-lever M. Motion is imparted to this shaft Zby means of a ratchet wheel, J, secured rigidly thereto, and which, inturn, is operated by a hand'lever, M, and pawl M, arranged to engagetherewith, as shown in Fig. 1, there being also a hand-wheel, P, withhandles Q secured to the outer end of the shaft, as shown, for thepurpose of operating the parts when it is desired to run the knees backor to move them an unusual distance either way.

The peculiar construction of the lever and pawl is shown in Fig. 3. Itis mounted in a stirrup composed of one or two arms, K, generally oftwo, though I sometimes use btit one. These arms are provided at theirlower ends with eyes m to tit upon the hub of the ratchet-wheel J, oneon each side, and at their upper ends with a hub, 11', projecting inwardfar enough to meet at the center when placed as shown in Fig. 1. Thishubn is provided with a recess, 0 as shown in Fig. 3, to form a seat orhearing for the hand-lever M and its pawl M, as shown in the left-handpart of Fig. 3. As there shown, this recess has an opening at the top,through which the handle M projects, while there are two openings at thesides,

through either of which the pawl M may pro ject, thus enabling the leverand pawl to be reversed or set so as to turn the ratchet-wheel in eitherdirection at will. The recess 0 and its openings are made of such a sizein relation to the lever and pawl as to permit the latter to oscillatetherein.

As shown in Fig. 3, the lever M and pawl M are formed of a single rigidbar, so that by oscillating the lever the pawl is raised and lowered.Through the center of the hub n there is a hole, in which is placed abolt, 0, (shown detached in Fig. 4,) which serves, with its nut, toclamp the parts K together, and as a pivot for the lever and pawl. Itssquare projecting end also serves as a means of limiting the movement ofthe lever, and consequently of the ratchet-wheel and the parts driventhereby, as hereinafter explained.

The object of thus constructing the lever and pawl is to prevent thepoint of the ratchet slipping past the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, asthe ordinary loosely-pivoted ratchet is liable to, and more especiallywhen used with a ratchet-wheel having its teeth made V-shaped, as inthis case, to enable it to be operated in either direction by merelyreversing the lever and ratchet without reversing the wheel also.Inasmuch as the power necessary to operate all the parts and also movethe log has to be transmitted by means of the ratchet-wheel and itsratchet and lever, it is important that any slipping of the ratchet onthe teeth of the wheel should be securely guarded against, as otherwisethe log will fail to be moved the requisite distance, and this is fullyaccomplished by the use of a lever and ratchet coir structed asdescribed, because, being rigidly united, the force applied to the leveris at the same time so applied to the ratchet as to hold its point incontact with the teeth of the wheel, while when the leveri drawn backthe ratchet is raised from the wheel, thereby preventing the wear of itspoint and of the teeth that would otherwise occur.

The set-rack B is provided on each side with a series of ratchet-teeth,arranged at specified distances, in which a spring stop-lever,H,engages, said lever being journaled on a hub of the box in set-rack B,in which the shaft Z has its bearing, and is therefore concentric withsaid shaft, on which it may be mounted direct, though I prefer to mountit on the hub, as described.

It will thus be seen that this stop-lever can be moved forward or backand made to engage in any of the notches of set-rack B, which latter isprovided on its face with a series of graduated marks, with figures toindicate the point at which the lever H is to beset for any desiredthickness of lumber.

0n the face of set-rack B, in rear of lever M, there is a lug providedwith a set-screw, against the head of which the projecting end of bolt 0strikes when the lever is drawn back, and which thus forms a stop tolimit its motion in that direction, this being a common device, andtherefore not shown in the drawings. It will therefore be evident thatthe distance that the lever M can be moved will be from this stationarystop in rear to the set-lever H in front, the end of bolt 0 striking thelatter as the lever M is moved forward, and that, as the motion of thelever M is transmitted to the knees d through the medium of theratchetwheel J and theintermediate gearing, the distance that the kneesand the log will be moved will be regulated or governed by the positionof the stop-lever H.

In order, however, to provide for a still liner adjustment, so as tomake the lumber either of scant or extra full thickness, as is sometimesdesired for special cases, I pivot on the face of the projecting end ofbolt 0, where it strikes the set-lever H, two thin plates or buttons, 1and 2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the bolt 0, as shown in Fig. 4, beingprovided with a lip or stop, f, on which these buttons rest, so as toprevent them from dropping below the horizontal position when turnedeitherway. By turning these buttons Over, so as to bring them betweenthe bolt and the set-lever H, the distance that the log will be set overwill belessened according as one or both are turned, while by turningthem back out of the way the thickness will be correspondinglyincreased. It is obvious that they maybe attached to the set-lever Hinstead of to the bolt 0, and that, instead of being pivoted to turnover, they may be slotted so as to be moved endwise, and be made toproduce the same results; but I prefer the plan shown, first, becausethey are more convenient to reach when thus located, and, second,because they are less likely to become accidentally displaced whenpivoted to turn over than they would be it arranged to slide. Theseadjustable buttons or plates also serve as a means of compensating forthe different thickness of saws used, and thus by their use, inconnection with my other improvements, the workman is enabled toregulate the thickness of the lumber to a degree and with a uniformityseldom if ever equaled.

In practice I construct the set-works to vary the lumber byquarter-inches by means of the stop-lever H and set-rack B, while thebuttons are made to vary it by twenty-fourths of an inch, though it isobvious that they may be made to vary it at any desired degree by makingthem thicker or thinner, and that any desired number of them may beused.

In order to enable the operator to see at a glance how to set the worksfor any desired thickness, and to prevent mistakes, I provide a dial, T,as shown in Fig. 1. This dial is provided with graduation marks andfigures to indicate the various thicknesses of lumber; and in order toenable the operator to more readily see these marks and figures and toprevent their being obscured by the accumulation of dust, 860., I makethe dial of a conical form, as shown, and mount it on the inner end ofshaft Z, upon which it is rotated by a pinion, F, on shaft Y, whichengages in a corresponding wheel, F, secured to the dial, as shownclearly in Fig. 1. A pointer or index, U, is secured upon a hubprojecting from the side of arm D of bracket D in such a position as toreach across the face of the dial, to which the marks on the dial areadjusted, and these being directly before the operator enables him tosee them at a glance.

In some cases it is desirable to arrange the ratchet-wheel and lever atright angles to the position shown in Fig. l-that is, so that the leverM will be worked lengthwise of the carriage instead of crosswise, and inthat case I arrange the cone-dial in a horizontal instead of a verticalposition, as shown at T, Fig. 1. The manner of mounting the dial andindex when so located is shown in detail in Fig. 5. A tubular hearing orsleeve, X, is slipped over the shaft Y, and is clamped and held in placeby a clamp, It. The sleeve X is provided with a vertical stud, R, whichforms a journal for the dial, and to the upper end of which the indexUis secured by one or more set-screws, as is also the index of the otherdial, T, so they can be set or adjusted to correspond accurately withthe marks on the dials.

By loosening the clamp R the dial and its support can be moved oradjusted to any desired position on the shaft, and so as to engage witha bevel-pinion, I, thereon, which serves to impart motion to the dial.

It will be understood that when it is desired to arrange theratchet-wheel and lever longitudinally instead of transversely of thecarriage beveled gear will be used instead of the plain gear shown, andthat the shaft Z, with its attachments, together with the setrack 13,will be turned and secured at right angles to their present position,all of which is within the range of the mechanical skill of personsskilled in the art, and need not therefore be described in detail.

In order to assist in gigging back the knees at when a fresh log is tobe placed on the carriage, I secure to the edge of the carriage, in rearof the head-blocks, a steel rod or shaft, to, one end of which issecured rigidly to the carriage by a strap, l, or any suitable means,while the other end is provided with a wheel or drum, to, to which oneend of a chain, to, is secured, its opposite end being connected to theslide b directly in front, as shown in Fig. 1. As the knees are thrownforward during the operation of sawing a log, the shaft or rod w willhave applied to it a torsional strain, which, when the set-works arereleased from the holding action of the ordinary holdingpawls, will atonce tend to draw back the knee to which the chain is attached, andthereby the others also, they all being connected by means of shaft Yand its pinions g. A lever, O, is pivoted on the shaft Z alongside ofsetbracket B, as shown in Fig. 1, which lever has its opposite endprovided with a rigid pawl arranged to engage with notches or teethformed on the side of wheel \V, and thus serve to hold the parts againstany backward movement until released. This lever-pawl and the notches orteeth in which it engages are so made that by removing the lever andrevers' ing it on the shaft it will operate equally well when the kneesand the ratchet-lever are-reversed, as before described.

By making these parts so they can be thus reversed it will be seen thatthe apparatus can be readily and quickly changed, so as to take the logeither on the right or left hand side of the carriage, and that thusthese set-works can be used either way, and can be easily changed fromone side to the other, by which they are rendered far more useful andvaluable.

From the foregoing description the m de of operation will be readilyunderstood by any one skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. Incombination with the head-block a, composed of a single solid I-shapedpiece, and the slide 1), fitted to slide thereon and provided with therack A, the knee d, mounted on said slide, and having the sector-leveri, with its spring-catch l pivoted thereto, the whole being constructedand arranged to operate substantially as described.

2. The holding-dogs 8, provided with the projections .r, in combinationwith the knee (1, provided with grooves having inclines 1r,substantially as shown and described.

3. I11 combination with the lever n for operating thedogs, the spring p,arranged to bear against the stud u or other portion of the movingparts, so as to hold the dogs back by friction created by the pressureof the spring, substantially as described.

4. The slide b, mounted on the block a, and

provided with the grooved rack-bar e, in combination with thebracket-guide h, secured to the block a, substantially as shown anddescribed.

5. In combination with the ratchet-wheel J, provided with V-shapedteeth, the set-lever M, provided with the rigid pawl M, pivoted in thetriangular recess 0 of the hub it upon the swinging arms K, allconstructed and arranged to operate substantially as shown anddescribed.

6. In combination with the set-rack B, provided with ratchet-teeth onits sides, and the spring stop-lever H, the ratchet-lever M, providedwith the projecting bolt 0, arranged to strike against stop-lever H tolimit the movement of the parts, as set forth.

7. In set-works for saw-mills, the reversible set-rack B, provided withratchet-teeth on its opposite sides, and the spring stop-lever H, bothcombined and arranged to operate as set forth.

8. In combination with the stop-lever H, the set-lever M, provided withthe projecting bolt 0, having one or more plates, 1 2, &c., securedthereto, substantially as described, whereby they can be thrown into orout of action, and will so remain until again moved by the operator, asand for the purpose set forth.

9. In combination with set-works for sawmills constructed to operatesubstantially as described, the rotating conical dial T and thestationary index U, arranged to operate substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

10. In combination with the conical dial T the tubular support X,provided with the stud or support R and clamp R, for securing andadjusting the dial, as set forth.

WILLIAM GOWEN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. W. HARGEN, 0. A. KLUETZ.

